Le Pastis – Housed in Montpellier’s old quarter, Le Pastis has a gorgeous sun-bathed terrace located at the corner opening of a pretty and tranquil square in the shadow of a beautiful church. The food is exciting and perfectly executed, while the wine list is strong and reasonably priced. (Carre Sainte Anne, 3 rue Terral / +33 4 67 66 37 26 / www.le-pastis.fr)

Le Cottage – Nice little bar on the canal with double deck chairs: perfect to catch the last few rays of the day as the sun sets. (3, quai Leopold Suquet)

Le Grand Hotel – There’s a distinct lack of hotels in Sete but this grande old dame stands gloriously at the intersection of the canal and while not all the rooms are contemporary in style, it’s a charming place to stay for a night or two. (17 quai de Tessigny, 34200 Sete / +33 4 67 74 71 77 / www.legrandhotelsete.com)

Chateau Les Carrasses – Newly opened ‘residences’ within a beautifully restored 19th century chateau about 20-minutes by car west of Beziers. See post for more info. (Route du Capestang, between Quarante and Capestang, near Beziers / +33 4 67 00 00 67 / www.lescarrasses.com)

Cave Saint Martin – With stunning views across the Orb River, this is a pretty place to stop and share some tapas-style dishes and a glass of local wine in Roquebrun, the ‘petit Nice’ of Languedoc. (26 avenue du Roc de L’Estang, 34460 Roquebrun / +33 4 67 24 56 49 / www.lacavesaintmartin.fr)

About

The Fat Mouse loves everything cool, design-led, fun, new or undiscovered. A lesser-known, particularly curious and greedy town-dwelling descendant of the ordinary Norfolk field mouse, The Fat Mouse is on a mission to seek out and share the best in food and travel.